Cruise ship holidays require just as much savvy packing as any other trips away. With travellers away from home for long periods of time, it’s important to make sure you pack everything you need. Some items are very much up to the individual cruiser but others should be included for practical reasons. There’s one thing holidaymakers heading off on cruise ships should never forget to include in their luggage.
Cruise expert Dave Dutton revealed a packing “essential” in his book How to be a Crafty Cruiser.
The self-professed “cruise veteran” revealed the importance of taking antibacterial hand wash and hand sanitisers.
Packing these shouldn’t just be for germaphobes – the bacteria busters could provide vital protection from getting ill onboard, with norovirus a particular concern on cruise ships.
According to the NHS, norovirus, also called the “winter vomiting bug”, is a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The symptoms start suddenly within one to two days of being infected.
The main symptoms of norovirus are: feeling sick, diarrhoea and being vomiting, explained the heath body. You may also have: a high temperature of 38C or above, a headache and aching arms and legs.
“Without wishing to scare you or make you paranoid, I would strongly advise you to definitely include these in your essential equipment,” wrote Dutton.
“Use them frequently onboard and ashore. I have been on cruises when the hand gel wasn’t brought into use before it was too late and the norovirus started affecting some passengers.
“It’s a closed environment and some people aren’t as fussy as you about hand washing after they’ve been to the lavatory. Safety first. You’ll be glad you brought them.
Ex cruise ship crew member Joshua Kinser has urged passengers to avoid shaking hands with staff in a bid to prevent the spread of norovirus.
“[Passengers] may not realise how much sickness spreads through the crew on cruise ships, and many employees don’t keep up with proper hygiene,” he told Express.co.uk.
“This is partly due to the fact that many crew members are working such long hours out on the ships and also due to cultural differences in what is considered good and proper hygiene.”
Doctor Ben MacFarlane revealed in his book Cruise Ship SOS what happens when norovirus breaks out on a cruise.
“At Code Red, almost every member of the 1,000 strong crew will play some part in the fight-back procedure, even if it’s only washing their hands a few more times every hour,” he wrote.
“In the meantime, pre-arranged teams of workers will begin a forensic clean-down service. Every surface that is ever touched will be disinfected almost the moment the last person has passed it.
“Cleaning crew will practically follow passengers around the ship to wipe down anything they brush into.
“Any or all passengers can be quarantined in their cabins. We can close off single decks or whole sections of the ship. It’s an exhaustive and exhausting operation.”
Cruise ship passengers travelling on TUI’s new Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship told of their “awful” experience after falling ill with “serious gastric illness” during a cruise in May this year.
“Things were so bad that I saw staff occasionally spooning out food to people and handling the glasses, as well as asking people if they had washed their hands and using tissues to open toilet doors. All the pools were also closed off,” Linda Cody said.